Hello:

For years, I've been saying that exconvicts are NOT a member of a protected class of society, so they cannot be turned down for employment based solely on their conviction...

I guess I was WRONG. Apparently, NY has had a law on the books for quite some time. It prevents an employer from dismissing an application out of hand if it contains a criminal conviction. An employer can only deny employment for excon's if their conviction was related to the job they were applying for.

Whoda thunk it? Editorial - Denied a Chance for Honest Work - NYTimes.com

excon

I'm not a lawyer, but from what I've read it is true. All states need to adopt similar laws if they want the recidivism rate to go down.

NY Correction Law, Article 23-A : Licensure and Employment of Persons Previously Convicted of One or More Criminal Offenses